Ventral markings of Milk Snakes

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Wildsnake
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Joined: December 16th, 2022, 3:34 pm

Ventral markings of Milk Snakes

Post by Wildsnake »

Few if any field guides show photos of the bellies of Milk snakes. I am in Missouri and we have Red Milk snakes. These have a strong dorsal pattern. However I have found one without any patters. So I am trying to find data on any and all Milk snake species and subspecies which are good of any ventral or belly pattern.
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Jeff
Posts: 620
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 6:01 am
Location: Louisiana

Re: Ventral markings of Milk Snakes

Post by Jeff »

I don't know of any single source that shows the variation in milk snake ventral patterns. The 15-20 'red' milks that I've seen were variable in both dorsal and ventral patterns, but none had a pure white venter.
Have you considered that your white-bellied milk might be a scarlet snake, Cemophora coccinea? Their dorsal coloration is similar to other tricolor snakes, but their venters are patternless white, and, they occur in Missouri.
Jeff
herpfriend
Posts: 54
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 7:59 pm

Re: Ventral markings of Milk Snakes

Post by herpfriend »

I live in Missouri also and have found over 1,000 Red Milk Snakes over the years. I have found maybe a dozen that didn't have any markings on the belly. A few years ago, I found one that had an almost solid black belly. The rest of the Red Milks I have seen varied from a few markings on the belly, about 75% black.
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